I have no idea when I moved from the mushroom hating camp to the mushroom loving camp, but I love them fiercely now. There’s something uniquely satisfying about popping a whole stuffed mushroom into your mouth. Maybe it’s the piggish feeling that I like so much.

I first tried these stuffed mushrooms when my sister cooked for us a couple of summers ago. My sister Joey can bake and cook. Her version had streaky bacon weaved throughout but I decided to try and make something similar sans-bacon. Not because I’m against bacon, not at all. But even a meat eater can enjoy these tasty vegetarian morsels. Mushroom hating camp may still not be convinced.

These stuffed mushrooms are a summer BBQ winner. These can be made a day ahead and they cook quickly on the BBQ so you can pop these on the BBQ just before everything else as a tasty pre-dinner snack. They’re easy to make ideal if you want to employ any idle hands floating around your kitchen.

My 30 mushrooms is just a guide and how many mushrooms this mixture fills depends on the size of your mushrooms and how much you fill them. Mushrooms are skewered to allow easy transfer to/from BBQ. But be warned: once cooked, the mushrooms really have a knack of swinging upside down, dropping the melty oozy stuffing out. Don’t hold cooked skewers precariously over beautiful dresses, electronics or nursing newborns.

Mushroom tip: Fresh mushrooms are tight and therefore have a smaller cavity to fill. Older mushrooms open up more so you can fit more filling.

Cream cheese stuffed mushrooms

Makes about 30 mushrooms

Ingredients
250 grams / 9 ounces cream cheese
1/2 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano, finely grated
1/2 cup olive or vegetable oil
A large handful of fresh herbs, chopped
(One or a mixture of: parsley, rosemary, sage, chives, thyme, oregano)
1/2 teaspoon paprika
30 white button mushrooms

Preparation

1. In a bowl, mix together all ingredients except for the mushrooms until well combined.
2. Rinse or brush mushrooms and wiggle the stems until they break off cleanly, leaving behind a small bowl.
3. Using a butter knife, pack each mushroom with cream cheese filling. Repeat until you run out of either filling or mushrooms.
4. Skewer 3 stuffed mushrooms per pre-soaked bamboo skewer. Pile on a plate or plastic container. Refrigerate until required.
5. To cook, melt butter or add oil to a hot grill. Cook for skewers on one side for 5 minutes until mushrooms are cooked through and stuffing is soft and oozy. Carefully transfer to a serving plate and dig in. Napkins or forks recommended.

P.S. Any leftover filling makes a wonderful sandwich or bagel spread.